Going out is a nightmare!

Hi all, my baby boy is 4 1/2 months old and is sleeps quite well at night, often just waking for his dummy. He also naps really well in his cot and I think these things have made going out so hard! He just won't seem to sleep anywhere but his cot and this is getting worse. It started a couple of months ago when he stopped sleeping in our arms or on a sofa etc and now he hardly ever sleeps in a carseat or pram when out and about. Covering the pram with a Muslin used to work but now he cries! He gets tired after 2 hours so if I'm shopping or at parents for Sunday lunch or anyone else, after two hours he becomes a nightmare- he doesn't fall asleep he just cries! my other big problem is that he also gets bored in his pram and cries if its 'awake time'! It's putting me off going anywhere, but maybe I'm being selfish wanting to go out when he's so happy at home? Maybe it's a phase?! People are also commenting on him being grumpy but at home, he's great! What to do?!

Comments (15)

This sounds like my LO, and my first son was the same. I put it down to them being a little "high maintenance". They get bored and fed up easily, so their tolerance for sitting in a buggy while I shop is pretty low. As for the sleeping, mine will sleep only if the buggy is moving. He wakes if we stop or go in a shop. It's such a pain. Sorry I don't really have any advice. I've given up shopping (except quick trips) and my other outings tend to be to baby groups where I can take him out of his pushchair.

Same here! I have a travelcot at my parents so he can nap there. Also recently found if I put my phone in the pram and play white noise (free app) he'll drift off a lot quicker and fights pushchair naps much less! Rx

Your not selfish. It's more common to have a problem the other way around so I haven't really got any advice that you prob haven't already thought of? Could you put the pram in his room and get him used to sleeping in it? Is he a heavy sleeper could you transfer him after he's fallen asleep? Any music/ white noise he likes or a special toy or cuddly?

Recently Harley's stopped sleeping as well in his pram. Took him out today and he whinged the whole way round the shop, so I gave up and left. Fell asleep the second the car started!

He loves the sling on the other hand - can nosy around him when he's awake and if he's sleepy just turns his head into me and drifts off super quick. Think I might just have to start taking the sling out more often. Not ideal if I'm doing a big shop, but when I'm just going for a wander it works. :)

My dd1 was like that and I complained about it constantly, as she grew up and transitioned to 1 nap at a year, I wished I had just enjoyed those quiet moments at home more :-) I always had to be extremely organised and plan everything around her naps, it was quite restricting but it's only for a few more months and then you will be complaining that he/she doesn't sleep enough :-) us mummy's are never happy :-)

I would suggest taking lo in a carrier or a sling. I used the pram (carrycot) once when Alice was couple of weeks old. She cried and i ended up carrying her home (stopped crying in my arms straight away), never used pram since. In a carrier she looks around very content and once tired just falls asleep in it. x x

Ooh lots of great ideas thanks! Defo need to buy a travel cot and will try the white noise and having his bunny in his pram too. I haven't got a sling but a good idea- he's heavy though!!

And lwilko I know exactly what you mean! I am dreading one nap! And I already miss things, like when he did just want to sleep on me all the time and I didn't wish I could get up and do things- i appreciated it cos he won't always do this, little did I know he would stop falling asleep on me soo quickly!

I would say you are lucky! Mine is the same and has a very good routine (sleeps and feeds). Ds1 and dd (dear daughter) were the same and i found it much easier.. Ok it is not nice when you can't go out anytime but it doesn't last forever... Xxx

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